Cytokine and chemokine gene expression of IL-1beta stimulated equine articular chondrocytes

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate mRNA expression of several proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in equine unstimulated and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-stimulated chondrocytes. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro experiment using equine chondrocyte cultures. SAMPLE POPULATION: Whole articular cartilage from metacarpophalangeal joints (n=5 horses; 10 fetlocks). METHODS: Chondrocyte monolayer cultures were established from digested adult equine articular cartilage and stimulated with 5 ng/mL of recombinant human IL-1beta. RNA was extracted from the cells 24 hours after stimulation. IL-1beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and ubiquitin (house keeping gene) mRNA expression were investigated by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 mRNA were expressed in unstimulated chondrocytes from macroscopically normal joints and were significantly up-regulated after stimulation (5/5 horses). IL-4 mRNA was not detected in any samples (0/5 horses). TNF-alpha mRNA, by comparison, was expressed in 2/5 unstimulated samples and in all stimulated samples but a considerable sample variation in response to IL-1beta stimulation was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Equine chondrocytes express mRNA for several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and IL-1beta modulates their expression. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Chondrocytes express proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines capable of modulating a local inflammatory cascade in articular cartilage, which could potentially lead to focal degradation and osteoarthritis.     

Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Faidherbia albida</Emphasis> (Del.) A. Chev. population in agroforestry parklands in the highlands of Northern Ethiopia: impact of conservation,environmental factors and human disturbances

Concerns about sustainable management and conservation of multipurpose trees in their habitat have led to increased number of studies on the ecological characterization of their population. Such knowledge on Faidherbia albida, the most used tree in agroforestry parklands in Ethiopia, is limited. F. albida population was characterized in and compared between two agroforests having different conservation status in Northern Ethiopia. Population structural parameters along with environmental factors and human activities were assessed in 42 randomly installed plots using a transect method. Size class distribution was used to describe and analyze the species long-term population dynamics. Adult density was almost three times higher in Zongi agroforest (19.9 ± 2.9 trees ha^?1) where the species has been conserved and managed for longer time compared to Abraha-atsbeha agroforest (7.9 ± 2.5 trees ha^?1). The same trend was observed for tree morphological parameters which were significantly higher at Zongi than Abraha-atsbeha. However, size class distributions coefficient of skewness and the median diameter indicated a declining and vulnerable population at Zongi and an increasing population at Abraha-atsbeha. Species population characteristics were influenced by environmental factors such as altitude, stone cover, erosion severity, slope, and human-related disturbances including land use, fodder harvesting, distance away from the center of the village and proximity of household to the plots. The study confirms the impact of conservation, environmental factors and human disturbances on shaping F. albida population and recommends the consideration of the trade-offs between them to design effective conservation and management strategies to sustain F. albida agroforests.     

Glochidial infestation by the endangered mollusc Unio crassus in rivers of north‐eastern France: Phoxinus phoxinus and Cottus gobio as primary fish hosts

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Ultrasound-guided injections of the equine head and neck: review and expert opinion

Ultrasound-guided injections can be used for a wide variety of conditions in the horse, including both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Benefits of ultrasound guidance include more accurate deposition of injectate compared with blind approaches. Improved identification of vital structures, including nerves and blood vessels, allows their avoidance and thus reduces procedure-associated complications. Validation of such ultrasound-guided techniques has shown that they can be easily learnt by inexperienced veterinarians, assuming a proper knowledge of the sonographic anatomy. In many cases they can be employed in the field with a high level of accuracy, using widely available equipment, and with complete adherence to the sterility principles. Many ultrasound-guided injection techniques of the axial skeleton in the horse have been described in past years, enabling the equine veterinarian to perform more accurate treatments of specific anatomical areas. The goal of this review is to discuss diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound-guided injection techniques of the skull and cervical spine in the horse, including those for the retrobulbar space, maxillary and inferior alveolar nerves, atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial junctions, and cervical articular process joints, as well as the 1st cervical nerve, the C2 and C3 nerve plexus, and the 6th, 7th, and 8th cervical nerve roots.     

French vineyards provide information that opens ways for effective resistance management of Botrytis cinerea (grey mould)

Resistance to fungicides is an evolutionary process resulting from the selection of advantageous genotypes in naturally diverse populations. Seven fungicide modes of action are authorised to control grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea on grapevine in France, and five of them have encountered specific resistance, with variable frequencies in populations and possible consequences for field fungicide efficacy. Moreover, multidrug resistance is caused by fungicide efflux and allows a weak resistance towards six unrelated modes of action. Here, a review is given of the fungicide resistance status of B. cinerea in France, particularly in the vineyards of Champagne, which are the most affected. Recently developed resistance and recent findings concerning the associated resistance mechanisms are focused upon in particular. Finally, antiresistance strategies are presented, and examples of managed resistance are discussed in a more general manner with the aim of extending this knowledge to other crops and countries undergoing similar resistance problems. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical and moisture absorption characterization of PLA composites reinforced with nano-coated flax fibers

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Evaluation of a thoracoscopic technique using ligating loops to obtain large lung biopsies in standing healthy and heaves-affected horses

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